Grip for a striking implement

ABSTRACT

Grips for striking implements, e.g., baseball bats, that adjust the position of the implement in the user&#39;s hand such that the implement can be held in a preferred position relative to the user&#39;s forearm without the user needing to radially deviate their wrist from its neutral position are disclosed. 
     Certain embodiments are suited for placement on a standard bat by the user. Other embodiments are more suited for placement on a modified bat during manufacture. 
     Use of the disclosed grips increases user comfort and lessens the risk to injuries associated with radial deviation of the wrist and with movement of the user&#39;s hand in relation to the striking implement, e.g., the bottom of the batter&#39;s palm striking against the knob of a bat.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The subject matter of this application pertains to devices and methods to enhance a hitter's comfort and power when swinging a striking implement such as a baseball bat. More precisely, the subject matter of this application pertains to additions and enhancements that can be used to modify a hitter's experience to approximate the effect of swinging an asymmetrical handle such as that of an axe. Even more precisely, the subject matter of this application pertains to devices and materials that attach to a striking implement and which allow the user to maintain a neutral wrist position when using said implement

BACKGROUND

At one point in time it was common for baseball players to carve their own bats out of nearly any type of available wood. Players would try to customize their bat to best compliment their swinging style and to capitalize on some benefit, real or imagined, to come from a certain style or shape of bat.

Eventually, manufactures took over the market and players stopped whittling their own bats, preferring to buy finished bats instead of taking the time to craft their own. Partially due to manufacturing efficiencies, the shape of baseball bats were standardized to be symmetrical along the bat's longitudinal axis which allowed them to be turned on a lathe in a tiny fraction of the time required to carve one by hand.

Organized baseball also obviously played a hand in standardizing the bat which is required under current Major League Baseball rule 3.02(a) to “be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length” and be made from one piece of solid wood.

Although the standards and regulations in major league baseball may be inflexible, there is still room for experimentation on unregulated aspects. Most germane to the subject matter of this application is Major League Baseball rule 3.02(c) which provides that “the bat handle . . . may be covered be covered or treated with any material or substance . . . .” Further, minor leagues can have their own regulations, as can any other regulated body, and there is nothing to prevent individuals from experimenting with any bat design they can create.

Ted Williams, perhaps the greatest hitter who ever lived, wrote in his 1970 book The Science of Hitting that “swinging a bat is like swinging an axe” explaining “[w]here is the hand position at point of impact? Square and unbroken, that's where, just as when you hit a tree with an axe.” His statement was not a mere quip, and he was known to train in the off-season with axes. Unlike symmetrical bats, a cross section of an axe-handle is elliptical. This shape is closer to the curve of a hand gripping the handle and increases user comfort. Further, the bottom of axe handles are often curved in an ergonomic manner so that the user's wrist does not need to bend to hold the handle.

The study of ergonomics tells us for maximal comfort and power, the hitter's wrist should be kept neutral such that the wrist is in straight alignment with the forearm. However, we have observed that for many users holding a bat with a neutral wrist will form an obtuse angle of at least 120° between the forearm and the bat due to the natural slant of a user's hand. We have also observed that most hitters bend their non-dominant hand's wrist towards their radius bone (radial deviation) so that the bat is held at approximately 109° from the hitter's forearm. This discrepancy forces the hitter to bend their wrist towards their radius bone (radial deviation). The combination of a deviated wrist and the forces generated by hitting something with a bat or axe will not only cause discomfort, but can also injure the athlete. In particular, the combination of radial deviation and swinging a bat can fracture the hamate bone in the wrist, located at the base of the fifth metacarpal (the little finger). The hamate bone is further at risk due to the batter's hand being driven into the knob of a traditional bat at the end of their swing.

These points were not missed on inventors who have worked to protect axe-handled bats as exemplified by U.S. U.S. Pat. No. 8,845,462; U.S. Pat. No. 7,878,930; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,545.

Although such bats are available and gaining popularity, there are still barriers to wide acceptance. For one, the bats require more manufacturing finesse than the creation of a simple lathe turned bat which increases their price. The price increase may not be a concern for major league players, but can be significant for others. Also, axe-handled bats are not anywhere near as available as more standard bats so replacing a broken bat is not as simple as taking a trip to nearly any department store or mall. Further, a professional player may not be able to change to a new brand of bat without risking an endorsement deal from a bat manufacturer.

The problems with forcefully swinging a striking implement held with a radially deviated wrist are not limited to baseball bats, and methods or devices to help a user maintain a neutral wrist in other activities are desired. For example, users of such diverse implements as cricket bats, lacrosse sticks, hammers, and barbells, et al., may benefit from a neutral wrist grip.

SUMMARY

The subject matter of this application is related to devices and methods which modify striking implements, particularly standard baseball bats to approximate the feel and effect of an axe-handled bat. In particular, the subject matter of this application pertains to grips that can be used on bats, clubs, and other striking implements to increase the user's comfort, lessen the possibility of injury, and increase the power capable of being transferred to the ball or other object being struck.

One objective of the subject matter of this application is to provide an ergonomic grip that an end user can use with standard striking implements. Another objective is to provide an ergonomic grip that can be added to striking implements during manufacture. Another objective of the subject matter of this application is to provide an angled ergonometric grip with an apex near the user's little finger when in use. Yet another objective of the subject matter of this application is to provide an ergonomic grip for a striking implement that allows the user to maintain a neutral wrist position while holding the implement at approximately 109° relative to the user's forearm.

The subject matter of this application meet the objectives. The disclosed grips are angled so that the user can hold a bat or similar object so said bat is approximately 109° from the user's forearm without the need to bend the wrist towards the radius. Certain of the disclosed embodiments can be used with standard baseball bats which have a knob on the bottom of the handle. Other disclosed embodiments may be placed on a bat during manufacture or with a bat not having a knob.

Broadly speaking, the embodiments of the subject matter of this application can be discussed as wedges and sleeves and will be discussed together or separately as needed.

The wedge embodiment comprises a wedge having a channel running along it's longitudinal axis which is placed onto a standard bat's lower handle. A strip of tape or other fixative holds the wedge to the bat while grip tape, or similar, is wound around the wedge and bat, further securing the subject matter of this application.

The sleeve embodiments comprise a tube of material such as a rubber or plastic having a circular internal diameter and an outer surface that is angled to support the wrist as discussed. Certain embodiments of the sleeve can be stretched over a baseball bat's knob, while other embodiments are placed on knob-less bats and optimally, glued or fused to the bat to prevent a batter being left with a handle in their hands as a wooden projectile flies towards the infield.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows three views of a wedge embodiment, two in perspective, and a front elevation.

FIG. 2 shows the wedge embodiment of FIG. 1 how it is used on a baseball bat. An insert shows a cross section of the wedge and handle of a bat at the level of the transverse section indicator line, with the components separated for illustration.

FIG. 3 has two views of a sleeve embodiment which is an open-ended tube and which comprises stippling. One view is perspective, the other view is from one end of the tube to show the tube comprises two open ends.

FIG. 4 illustrates another sleeve embodiment comprising one open end and one closed end.

FIG. 5 illustrates yet another sleeve embodiment comprising one open end and one closed end.

FIG. 6 illustrates a baseball bat comprising the sleeve embodiment of the subject matter of this application illustrated in FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description and referenced drawings illustrate embodiments of the application's subject matter. They are not intended to limit the scope. Those familiar with the art will recognize that other embodiments of the disclosed method are possible. All such alternative embodiments should be considered within the scope of the application's claims.

Each reference number consists of three digits. The first digit corresponds to the number of the figure in which that reference number is first shown. Reference numbers are not necessarily discussed in the order of their appearance in the figures.

The figures are not necessarily to scale and aspects may be exaggerated to more clearly demonstrate important features.

For simplicity, the subject matter of this application is described in the context of baseball, although the embodiments disclosed may be useful in other activities. Accordingly, the use of baseball terminology should not be necessarily be used to interpret the claims. Therefore, the word “bat” shall be understood to mean not only a baseball bat, but also other sporting good bats, clubs, and sticks as well as other similarly handled clubs and sticks such as hammers and barbells. Further, although the user may be described as a batter or hitter such terms should be understood to include any user.

A baseball bat (201) has a longitudinal axis (202), a transverse axis (203) having a radius (209), a surface (204), a top terminus (205), a handle portion (206), and a bottom terminus (207). Further, nearly all commercially available bats further comprise a knob (208) located near the bottom terminus.

In a normal batting position, the hitter holds a bat with the small finger of his non-dominant hand near the bottom terminus of the bat and his dominant hand just towards the top terminus of the bat. The batter's hands may be touching or not. We have observed that most users hold a bat so that the longitudinal axis of the non-dominant forearm forms an approximate 109° angle with the bat when the the user is in batting position. In order to obtain this angle, the user must radially bend their wrist from it's neutral position, potentially increasing the risk of stress-injuries, particularly to the hamate bone.

The wedge embodiment of the subject matter of this application (101) has a longitudinal axis (102), a transverse axis (103), a top terminus (104), a bottom terminus (105), a length extending from the bottom terminus to the top terminus parallel to said longitudinal axis, an outer surface (106), and an inner surface (107). The outer surface further comprises a slant (108) having an apex (109) near the bottom terminus of the wedge and a nadir (110) near the top terminus of the wedge. Said inner surface is a semi-circular trench with a radius (210) substantially the same as the radius of the transverse section of the handle of the bat so that at least 80% of inner surface of the wedge contacts the outer surface of the bat when the wedge is placed against the handle of the bat. The slant further comprises an angle (111) having a vertex at said nadir and comprised of a first ray extending from the nadir of the slant to the apex of the slant and a second ray parallel to the longitudinal axis of the wedge. Said angle may be between 1 and 15 degrees, more preferably the angle is between 3 and 10 degrees, yet more preferably the angle is between 4 and 8 degrees, and most preferably the angle is 6-7 degrees. The wedge also comprises a length (112) which in a most preferred embodiment is equal to the width of a typical user's hand (approximately four inches).

Said inner surface may comprise an attachment means (113). Most preferred embodiments of the attachment means are a sticky substance such as a glue or tape and are covered until use with a removable shield.

To use the wedge one would removed the shield covering the sticky substance, if present, and press the inner surface of the wedge against the handle portion of a bat so that the bottom terminus of the wedge is located at or near the bottom terminus of the bat. In most commercially available bats this placement would result in the bottom terminus of the wedge abutting the knob of the bat. Tape may be wound around the wedge and the bat to hold them together.

A batter using a wedge-equipped bat may slide the fingers of their non-dominant hand towards the top or bottom terminus of the wedge until the position of their fingers is such that the bat is held at between 95° and 120° relative to their non-dominant forearm while their wrist is in its neutral position, in alignment with the forearm. More preferably this angle formed by the bat and the user's forearm is between 100° and 115°. Most preferably this angle formed by the bat and the user's forearm is 108-110°. We have determined that the above disclosed wedge with an apex of approximately 0.3-0.7 inches (most preferably 0.5 inches) from the inner surface of the wedge is adequate for most users to find a wrist neutral position holding a bat at the preferred angle from the user's forearm. The user's dominant hand is then also placed into the user's preferred location along the handle of the bat. We have also observed that for most users the preferred wrist position is when the ray formed by the their non-dominant hand and the ray of the transverse axis of the bat at the level immediately towards the top terminus of the bat from the knob is 23°.

Certain embodiments of the wedge having an angle greater than 9° with a vertex located at the level of a user's ring finger when in use or further proximal to the bottom terminus of the wedge, but also with a maximum height of around 0.3-0.7 inch from the inner surface of the wedge may also accommodate most users. Such modifications should be determined within the scope of the claims.

The sleeve embodiments of the subject matter of this application comprise a longitudinal axis (301), a transverse axis (302), a top terminus (303), a bottom terminus (304), an outer surface (305), and an inner surface (306) defining a lumen having a diameter consistent across said lumen. The outer surface further comprises a primary slant (401) having an apex (402) near the bottom terminus of the wedge and a nadir (403) distal to the bottom terminus of the wedge. Said sleeve is a tube having at least one open end. Those sleeves having one open end have said open end (307) at the sleeve's top terminus. The diameter of the lumen is large enough so that the sleeve may be placed onto the handle of a bat. The sleeve may be comprised of a material capable of being stretched, such as a rubber, or may be made of a rigid material such as a hardened plastic or wood.

The primary slant further comprises an angle having a vertex and comprised of the ray extending from the nadir of the slant to the apex of the slant and the ray of the longitudinal axis of the wedge. Said angle may be between 1 and 15 degrees, more preferably the angle is between 3 and 10 degrees, yet more preferably the angle is between 4 and 8 degrees, and most preferably the angle is 6-7 degrees.

In a preferred embodiment of the sleeve, the sleeve comprises a first open end (307) and a second open end (308). This embodiment may be stretched over the knob of a bat and placed into position on the handle of the bat so that they bottom terminus of the sleeve is located near the bottom terminus of the bat. This embodiment may further comprise a plurality of holes (309) extending predominantly through the sleeve. The holes, if present, are stress relief points which decrease the amount of force necessary to stretch the sleeve over the knob and onto the handle of the bat.

Another preferred embodiment of the sleeve comprises a single open end (307) located at the top terminus of the sleeve. Single-open end embodiments of the sleeve may be placed on a bat without a knob. For example, a manufacturer could have sleeves molded out of a sturdy plastic and place them on a wooden bat machined without a knob using a glue and friction between the handle of the bat and the lumen of the sleeve to fix the sleeve to the bat. Additionally, an end user could cut the knob off a standard bat and affix the sleeve in a similar manner. Further, a sleeve may comprise one or more holes though which a user could drive a screw into the bat to prevent the sleeve and bat separating.

A batter using a sleeve-equipped bat may slide the fingers of their non-dominant hand towards the top or bottom terminus of the sleeve until the position of their fingers is such that the bat is held at between 95° and 120° relative to their non-dominant forearm while their wrist is in its neutral position, in alignment with the forearm. More preferably this angle formed by the bat and the user's forearm is between 100° and 115°. Most preferably this angle formed by the bat and the user's forearm is 108-110°. We have determined that the above disclosed wedge with an apex of approximately 0.3-0.7 inches (most preferably 0.5 inches) from the surface of the bat is adequate for most users to find a wrist neutral position holding a bat at the preferred angle from the user's forearm. The user's dominant hand is then also placed into the user's preferred location along the handle of the bat.

Sleeves attached to bats without a knob may further comprise a secondary slanted region (501) between the bottom terminus of the sleeve and the nadir of the primary slant to approximate the familiar sensation of gripping a bat with a knob and to serve as a tactile indicator of the bat's bottom terminus.

The primary objective of the subject matter of this application is to reduce or eliminate the radial displacement of the user's non-dominant hand when holding a bat in a normal batting position. Reduction of this angle provides a more ergonomic batting experience to the hitter which may reduce injury while increasing power. Another objective of the subject matter of this application is to accomplish the primary objective in a way that can be adopted for use with nearly any bat available to the hitter, and in a way that does not conflict with current regulations by any baseball or softball organization known to the inventor.

The subject matter of this application fulfills these objectives. The subject matter of this application may also be used with other striking implements including other sporting goods and other objects which are typically require the user to radially displace their wrist to hold the implement in position, such as hammers or barbells.

The angles discussed in this application pertain to our observations of hitters holding a baseball bat, although the subject matter of this application can be used with other objects that would otherwise require radial displacement to be held in position. 

We claim:
 1. A partial grip for a striking implement comprising a longitudinal axis, a transverse axis, a top terminus, a bottom terminus, a length extending from said bottom terminus to the top terminus, a central point along the longitudinal axis equidistant from the top terminus and from the bottom terminus, an outer surface, and an inner surface, A. said inner surface comprising a semi circular trench, i. said trench having a nadir and a radius no smaller than the radius of the striking implement, B. said outer surface comprising a slanted region comprising a nadir, an apex, and an angle.
 2. The partial grip of claim 1 in which A. said nadir of the slanted region is located between the central point of the length of the partial grip and the top terminus of the partial grip, and B. said apex of the slanted region located between the central point of the length of the partial grip and the bottom terminus of the partial grip C. said angle of the slanted region comprising a vertex, a first ray, and a second ray, i. said first ray extends from the nadir of the slanted region to the apex of the slanted region, ii. said second ray extends from the nadir of the slanted region to the bottom terminus of the partial grip, parallel to the longitudinal axis of said partial grip.
 3. The partial grip of claim 1 in which the length is approximately the same as the width of the user's hand.
 4. The partial grip of claim 1 in which the length is approximately four inches.
 5. The partial grip of claim 1 in which the angle of the slanted region is between 1 and 15 degrees.
 6. The partial grip of claim 1 in which the angle of the slanted region is between 3 and 10 degrees.
 7. The partial grip of claim 1 in which the angle of the slant is between 4 and 8 degrees.
 8. The partial grip of claim 1 in which the angle of the slant is between 6 and 7 degrees.
 9. The partial grip of claim 1 in which said inner surface further comprises a fixation means.
 10. The partial grip of claim 1 in which said apex of the slant is less than approximately 0.3-0.7 inches from the nadir of the trench of said inner surface.
 11. The partial grip of claim 1 in which said apex of the slant is less than approximately 0.5 inches from the nadir of the trench of said inner surface.
 12. A partial grip for a striking implement comprising a longitudinal axis, a transverse axis, a top terminus, a bottom terminus, a length extending from said bottom terminus to the top terminus, a central point along the longitudinal axis equidistant from the top terminus and from the bottom terminus, an outer surface, and an inner surface, A. said inner surface comprising a semi circular trench, i. said trench having an radius no smaller than the radius of the striking implement and further comprising a fixation means, B. said outer surface comprising a slanted region comprising a nadir, an apex, and an angle.
 13. The partial grip of claim 12 in which said fixation means is a coating of a sticky adhesive material.
 14. A method for using the partial grip of claim 1 with a striking implement having a top terminus, a bottom terminus, a surface, and a longitudinal axis in which the inner surface of the partial grip is placed against the surface of the striking implement so that the bottom terminus of the partial grip is no more than 3 inches from the bottom terminus of the striking implement and the top terminus of the partial grip is more than 3 inches from the bottom terminus of the striking implement.
 15. The method of claim 14 in which at least 80% of the inner surface of the partial grip is in contact with the outer surface of the striking implement when said partial grip is placed against the striking implement.
 16. The method of claim 14 in which the striking implement is a sporting good.
 17. The method of claim 14 in which the striking implement is a baseball bat.
 18. The partial grip for a striking implement of claim 1 in which said slanted region of the outer surface is shaped such that a user grasping the partial grip when in place on the striking implement the resulting angle between the user's forearm and the transverse axis of the bat where the user's hand contacts the bat is approximately 23 degrees. 